Brookings County, South Dakota

Brookings County, South Dakota
Brookings County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,375, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Brookings. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1871.
Brookings County comprises the Brookings, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The county was organized July 3, 1871, and was named for Wilmot Wood Brookings (1830-1905), a politician and pioneer of southeastern South Dakota. Medary was the first county seat, from 1871 to 1879, when it was moved to the city of Brookings.
Geography
Brookings County is on the east side of South Dakota. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state of Minnesota. The Big Sioux River flows south-southeastward through the east central part of the county; its point of entry into Moody County marks Brookings County's lowest elevation: ASL.
The county terrain consists of sloped flatlands, marked by numerous lakes and ponds especially in the western part. The area is largely devoted to agricultural use. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 29
U.S. Highway 14
U.S. Highway 14 Bypass
U.S. Highway 81
South Dakota Highway 13
South Dakota Highway 30
South Dakota Highway 324
Airports
Brookings Regional Airport
Arlington Municipal Airport
Transit
Jefferson Lines
Adjacent counties
Deuel County – north
Lincoln County, Minnesota – east
Pipestone County, Minnesota – southeast
Moody County – south
Lake County – southwest
Kingsbury County – west
Hamlin County – northwest
Lakes
Brush Lake
Johnson Lake
Lake Campbell
Lake Goldsmith
Lake Hendricks (partial)
Lake Poinsett
Lake Sinai
Lake Tetonkaha
Oak Lake
Oakwood Lake
Protected areas
Aurora Prairie Nature Preserve
Black Slough State Game Production Area
Brookings County State Game Production Area
Brookings Prairie Park
Dakota Nature Park
Deer Creek State Game Production Area
Kvernmoe Slough State Game Production Area
Lake Hendricks State Lakeside Use Area
Lake Poinsett State Recreation Area
Mehegan State Game Production Area
Moe Slough State game Production Area
Nelson State Game Production Area
Oak Lake State Game Production Area
Oakwood Lake State Game Production Area
Oakwood Lakes State Park
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 34,375 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 31,965 people, 12,029 households, and 6,623 families in the county. The population density was . There were 13,137 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.2% white, 2.7% Asian, 0.9% American Indian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 47.9% were German, 24.3% were Norwegian, 11.9% were Irish, 6.9% were English, 6.1% were Dutch, and 2.0% were American.
Of the 12,029 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.9% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 26.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,134 and the median income for a family was $63,338. Males had a median income of $40,425 versus $30,023 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,995. About 5.9% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Arlington (partial)
Brookings (county seat)
Bruce
Elkton
Volga
White
Towns
Aurora
Bushnell
Sinai
Census-designated places
Lake Poinsett
Newdale Colony
Norfeld Colony
Rolland Colony
Unincorporated communities
Ahnberg
Medary
Sunnyview
Townships
Afton
Alton
Argo
Aurora
Bangor
Brookings
Elkton
Eureka
Lake Hendricks
Lake Sinai
Laketon
Medary
Oaklake
Oakwood
Oslo
Parnell
Preston
Richland
Sherman
Sterling
Trenton
Volga
Winsor
Politics
Typical of the Great Plains, Brookings County voters are reliably Republican, even for a county with politics influenced by a college town. In only two national elections since 1932 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. Despite being reliably Republican territory, no Republican has taken over 60% of the vote since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Brookings County, South Dakota
References
External links
Brookings County, SD government website
1871 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1871